A number of mechanisms for releasing high chair trays from their high chairs have been proposed. Examples of such mechanisms are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,505,490 to Greenbaum and U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,123 to Cone. In general, these mechanisms address the desirable feature of removing a high chair tray from a high chair with one hand, while leaving the other hand free to carry the infant or child to be seated in the high chair. In order for the mechanism to be effective and efficient, the tray must provide a stable surface on which food and toys can be placed, the tray should be sufficiently secured to the chair such that the child's weight against the tray cannot inadvertently release the tray from the chair. For the sake of safety, the mechanism should not present any sharp edges or any connections where the child's legs could be injured while the child is seated within the chair.
High chairs are primarily used to seat an infant or child too small to be seated in conventional chairs for feeding. By definition, high chair trays are designed to contain any food which may not successfully end up within the infant. For this reason, trays must be cleaned often. Also, the tray should be stable enough to prevent any tipping that would overturn dishes and food.
These and other problems are addressed by the present invention.
The particular features of the invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in cojunction with the drawings.